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Free Speech Union - Latest News [Page 1]
VPN Assurances Hollow Without Ruling Out ID Verification For Adult Kiwis
Tuesday, 7 July 2026, 2:38 pm | Free Speech Union
“While a VPN ban now appears off the table, we are none the wiser about what censorship tools are being built behind closed doors. Do they too follow in the footsteps of China, Iran, and North Korea?” says Chief Executive of the FSU Jillaine Heather. More >>
A VPN Ban Gives The Game Away, Says Free Speech Union
Tuesday, 7 July 2026, 7:51 am | Free Speech Union
Education Minister Erica Stanford is reportedly looking at banning or restricting VPNs in the legislation now being drafted. Nothing has gone to Cabinet, so there is still time to kill the idea before it reaches a bill. More >>
Free Speech Union Ready To Fight Return Of Failed Hate Speech Laws
Monday, 6 July 2026, 4:10 pm | Free Speech Union
Instead of expanding censorship laws, the Free Speech Union says New Zealand should recommit itself to a culture of tolerance. More >>
A Victim Waived Her Anonymity To Name Her Abuser. The Court Suppressed Him Anyway
Wednesday, 1 July 2026, 2:08 pm | Free Speech Union
"Kim Sawyers gave up her anonymity and asked for her abuser to be named," said Heather. "She was overruled by evidence the public will never see. A system that does that to the person it is meant to serve should be willing to explain itself." More >>
Free Speech Union: If Brian Tamaki Committed A Crime, Prosecute Him. Don't Punish Speech Through The Back Door
Tuesday, 30 June 2026, 1:09 pm | Free Speech Union
"If Mr Tamaki's recent comments crossed into criminal incitement, he should be charged & tried - not have his firearms seized & his licence revoked through a regulatory process that never goes near a courtroom," says FSU Council Member Douglas Brown. More >>
Māori Psychologist's Peer-Reviewed Paper Removed To "Protect Māori"
Wednesday, 24 June 2026, 10:23 am | Free Speech Union
"A scholarly journal is meant to be a place where ideas are tested, not a channel for value signalling," said Free Speech Union Stakeholder Relationships Manager Stephanie Martin. More >>
Free Speech Union: Condemn Tamaki's Remarks And Defend Free Speech Principles
Monday, 22 June 2026, 5:49 pm | Free Speech Union
The Free Speech Union notes that New Zealand law already provides remedies where speech crosses the line into criminal conduct. More >>
DIA Should Not Become New Zealand’s Online Gatekeeper
Wednesday, 17 June 2026, 2:20 pm | Free Speech Union
The Secretary has answered a question about competence. Our concern is about power, said Free Speech Union Chief Executive Jillaine Heather. More >>
Free Speech Union Welcomes ACT's Professional Regulator Neutrality Policy - And Calls On Every Party To Back It
Wednesday, 17 June 2026, 9:57 am | Free Speech Union
"We're pleased to see ACT take up a principle we've been making the case for over many years. No one should have to choose between their profession and the freedom to hold a lawful opinion," said Free Speech Union Chief Executive Jillaine Heather. More >>
The 'High Bar' Against Censoring Radio Just Got Lower
Friday, 12 June 2026, 7:51 am | Free Speech Union
Nine months on, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has ruled the segment breached broadcasting standards and ordered NZME to broadcast a statement, at drive time, on a Friday, with the wording approved by the Authority before it goes to air. More >>
Huffer Threatens Model With Legal Action It Has No Right To Take, Says Free Speech Union
Thursday, 11 June 2026, 5:02 pm | Free Speech Union
Timmins-Scanlon went public earlier this month with his view that a model in a recent Huffer campaign looked like an AI ‘mash-up’ of him and his brother, who have both modelled for the brand. More >>
Poll: New Zealanders Reject Political Policing By Professional Regulators Three To One
Thursday, 11 June 2026, 6:58 am | Free Speech Union
The Curia poll of 1,000 voters found 54% believe regulators such as the Medical and Nursing Councils should only discipline doctors and nurses for incompetence or negligence. More >>
$30.7 Million Committed To Enforce A Law That Does Not Exist
Wednesday, 3 June 2026, 8:44 pm | Free Speech Union
The Free Speech Union calls on the Government to halt the Department of Internal Affairs work programme until the legislation it is built to enforce has been drafted, debated, and passed by Parliament. More >>
Free Speech Union Backs Bid To Lift Child Abuse Suppression
Wednesday, 3 June 2026, 1:58 pm | Free Speech Union
"A free society does not keep its citizens in the dark about who has been convicted of serious crimes in their own communities," said Heather. "We hope the High Court returns this case to the daylight." More >>
Otago Vice-Chancellor's Email Undermines Institutional Neutrality Within Academia
Tuesday, 2 June 2026, 3:00 pm | Free Speech Union
Martin said institutional neutrality existed to protect academic freedom. "A university stays open by not announcing, from the chair, which side of a contested question its members should be on," she said. More >>
A Cardboard Sign Is Still Speech: Free Speech Union Warns Against Open-Ended Police “Move-On” Powers
Wednesday, 27 May 2026, 11:46 am | Free Speech Union
“We are not asking Parliament to go soft on disorder. We are asking it to listen to its own Attorney-General,” said Jillaine Heather, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union. More >>
Queenstown Lakes Council Has No Business Deciding Who Counts As A Journalist
Tuesday, 19 May 2026, 4:45 pm | Free Speech Union
The Free Speech Union takes no position on the merits of individual Crux stories. Eight of thirteen Media Council complaints against Crux since 2020 have been upheld. The point here is procedural, not editorial. More >>
Universal Age Verification Confirmed; Everything Else Is Being Built In The Dark
Monday, 18 May 2026, 1:59 pm | Free Speech Union
The Free Speech Union is calling on the Minister to release the Cabinet papers before her June update, publish the full scope of the wider programme of work, and tell the public what the Department of Internal Affairs is already building in its name. More >>
Right Call To Pause On U-16 Social Media Ban - Now Halt The Machinery Built To Enforce It
Friday, 15 May 2026, 1:33 pm | Free Speech Union
"Pausing to think again, rather than legislating in haste, is what a serious government does when a policy hasn't survived contact with the evidence." More >>
Open Justice Demands Smart-Glasses Voyeur Should Not Get Name Suppression
Wednesday, 13 May 2026, 11:12 am | Free Speech Union
“Open justice is the rule. Suppression is the exception. That principle is older than the Criminal Procedure Act and more important than any individual defendant’s discomfort.” More >>
